The Grotesque Body in Early Christian Discourse : Hell, Scatology and Metamorphosis.

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Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I -- Hell; 1 Grotesque Bodies in the Christian Underworld; 2 Torture in Hell and Reality; 3 Body and Morality; 4 The Bride of the Demon; Part II -- Scatology; 5 Deviance Labeling: The Politics of the Grotesque; 6 Scatological Humor; Part III -- Metamorphoses; 7 Polymorphy; 8 Speaking Asses and Other Devoted Animals; 9 Metamorphoses of Christ; 10 Counterintuitiveness and Embodiment: The Grotesque in Cognitive Perspective; 11 Epilogue; Bibliography; Index of Ancient References.

Index of AuthorsIndex of Subjects.

Early Christian apocryphal and conical documents present us with grotesque images of the human body, often combining the playful and humorous with the repulsive, and fearful. First to third century Christian literature was shaped by the discourse around and imagery of the human body. This study analyses how the iconography of bodily cruelty and visceral morality was produced and refined from the very start of Christian history. The sources range across Greek comedy, Roman and Jewish demonology, and metamorphosis traditions. The study reveals how these images originated, were adopted, and were shaped to the service of a doctrinally and psychologically persuasive Christian message.

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